


Professional Courtesy

by UnbiddenRhythm



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, F/M, FF7's Pepper Potts, Pining, Pre-Canon, Unresolved Romantic Tension, seriously who is she I want more of her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23695159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnbiddenRhythm/pseuds/UnbiddenRhythm
Summary: Reeve gets an unexpected late night visit from the Turks, and some unwelcome advice about love.
Relationships: Reeve Tuesti & Reeve Tuesti's Assistant, Reeve Tuesti & Tseng, Reeve Tuesti/Reeve Tuesti's Assistant
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	Professional Courtesy

**Author's Note:**

> If I have to single-handedly set this ship a-sailing, by god let me grab my oars for I will do what it takes.

Reeve usually considered late night dinner with a beautiful woman his ideal Friday night. But this was not quite how he wanted things to go.

"And here are the figures if we implement the design at 8 reactors, same as the city." She handed him the folder, one of many scattered across the coffee table among boxes of half-eaten take-out. Reeve studied the projections.

"It's much higher than I'd like. We haven't yet gotten the estimates back for relocation costs, and with these numbers combined they'd exceed our budget." He rubbed his tired eyes and glanced at the clock. 30 minutes 'til midnight. Where had the day gone?

"Yes, about that," she pulled a different file from the stack on the table, somehow not showing any fatigue. "I ran into Mr. Tolley earlier. He said Scarlet successfully lobbied the President to raise rates. The President will likely announce it at Tuesday’s board meeting." She pursed her lips. "The budget won't be an issue anymore."

Reeve sighed, agitated. "It's the third increase in 7 months. People aren't going to be happy."

She looked dejected. "Tolley said neither the President nor the Director seemed to care."

He groaned. "Of course not. It's _our_ staff that have to deal with the complaints."

Before she could respond they heard a sharp knock. The door swung open with force.

Tseng and Reno strolled in.

They both rose from their chairs as the Turks entered, and Reeve could feel her tense next to him. He didn't blame her. Drop-ins from the Department of Administrative Research usually never went well.

And a drop-in, this late at night...

"Hello Tseng. This is unexpected."

Tseng's smile disquieted Reeve. "We wanted to pay a visit, Director."

Reno stepped forward. "It's an added bonus we get to see _you_ , my dear." He winked at her and she crinkled her nose, sweeping copper bangs from her freckled face.

"Hello, Reno," she deadpanned.

"Something's different. New haircut? It's working for you, sweetheart." He turned to Reeve, face leering. "Gotta say, Director, I envy you–"

"Thank you, Reno. That's enough." Tseng's interjected. Reno scowled, but stayed silent. 

"To what do we own the pleasure, Tseng?" Reeve tried his hand to redirect, heat rising in his face at Reno's insinuation. "As you can see, we're in the middle of a meeting. Can we help you in some way?"

Tseng's smile returned. "Why yes, Director. You can."

"If that's the case, gentlemen," she started to grab the stack of folders from the coffee table, "then please excuse me—"

Tseng raised his hand to stall her. "That won't be necessary, Miss. We'll only be a few minutes." Tseng looked from her to Reeve again. "Unless of course you prefer, Director.”

“You know,” Reno cut in, “I wouldn’t mind waiting outside either.”

Neither Reeve nor her preferred that option, he felt sure. "It's fine," Reeve said quickly, motioning for her to sit down again next to him in their chairs. Tseng and Reno followed suit. "Now, what can our department do for you, Tseng?"

"There's been an increase in activity reported near several reactor sites." Tseng adjusted his tie as he spoke. " _Suspicious_ activity. We're investigating."

"What kind of suspicious activity?" Reeve tried to suppress any agitation from his voice. On-site visits from the Turks always provoked the otherwise mild-mannered employees of the Urban Planning division into states of anxiety. The sooner Tseng and Reno left his staff and the reactors alone, the better.

"We wanted to know if your department has noticed anything unusual. Impact to your production lines, things like that," Tseng continued, ignoring Reeve's specific question.

Reeve half-thought to dig his heels and demand to know what was going on. Fortunately, he was graced with an assistant with a strong sense of self-preservation.

"I have the files related to this month's production output right here," she pulled from the pile a thick folder and reviewed its contents for a moment. "From what I can see, there are no significant differences in output that would cause alarm." She thumbed through the rest of the monthly report, coming to a stop after a few pages. She frowned.

"What is it?" Tseng asked. The men stared at her, but if she felt discomposed by their gazes, it didn't show.

"There is something...some key card and ID activity that are atypical." She looked at Tseng. "Is this the suspicious activity you're talking about?"

Reeve noted with interest that Tseng now seemed discomfited by her quick assessment. He surmised the other man didn't like not ceding control of the questions. "Yes, that's correct. What do you make of it?"

"I'm not too worried. We've been updating the security hardware on the doors at each site. Some of our older employee's key cards were out of date with the new technology, so their access was denied. But that should all be resolved now, though it would show up in some of the security flags that are sent to your department." She flashed him an apologetic smile and closed the file with a flourish. "Sorry if this wasted your time, gentlemen."

Reno appeared satisfied but Tseng seemed skeptical. "Perhaps that is the case. Regardless," his eyes narrowed, looking at Reeve, "we feel it's worthwhile to increase _covert_ surveillance."

Reeve's insides froze. _No staff_ knew of his previous intelligence operations with the Turks; the fact that Tseng would throw out such a coded phrase in front of her...

She looked from the Turks to Reeve, curiosity clearly piqued, but wise enough to not question him aloud. He pointedly avoided her gaze.

"Are you sure that step is necessary?" Reeve tried to keep his voice composed.

Tseng's expression hardened, and Reeve feared what the man might say next. So he relented and turned to her. "Perhaps it's best if you wait outside for a moment," he murmured apologetically. He registered faint surprise in her eyes. He never asked her to leave a room. Yet, took her cue with grace.

"Of course, sir." She rose and crossed to leave.

As she passed him, Reno popped up from his chair. “Don’t mind if I join you, lovely,” he said with glee but, spying Tseng's expression, refrained from further comment as he followed her exit.

No sooner had the door closed behind them that Reeve turned on Tseng. "What the hell? In front of my _assistant_?"

Tseng looked mildly amused. "My apologies. We came here assuming you would be alone, given the hour." He smirked. "And considering how close you both are, can you fault me for assuming she already knows about your...hobbies?"

Reeve sputtered. "What are you implying?"

Tseng's smile only further unsettled him. "Director, there are no rules against fraternization among employees at this company. And you _are_ both still here _alone_ this late at night. I'm certainly not here to chastise you."

Reeve knew his cheeks were red now. "That's not...we aren't..."

Tseng's eyebrows shot up. He seemed genuinely surprised by Reeve’s embarrassment. "I...misjudged." He studied Reeve for a moment. "And here I was sure you were quite taken with her."

"I'm not that kind of manager. And besides,” he scoffed, "I'm her supervisor. It isn't fair of me to put any sort of pressure on her no matter how I might feel, and she's too good an employee to chase away by doing so."

"So you don't deny your interest." Reeve mentally cursed his slip. Tseng pressed on. "And what if she isn't chased away? What if she's open to it?"

Reeve shook his head, having no rejoinder. It was true that he sometimes convinced himself that her lingering glances, her tenderness towards him was more than just that of a dedicated employee. But in the absence of her clear consent he refused to consider initiating any romantic overtures.

"It's not fair to any of my employees. If they think I play favorites, then they all become harder to manage."

"So this all boils down to being a good boss. For your employees' sake, not Shin-Ra's." Tseng sounded incredulous. Reeve scowled.

"What do you care so much about my love life anyway?"

"Make no mistake, Tuesti—I don't." Tseng deadpanned. "But I do need to talk with you about the reactors. We need Cait Sith."

"Why? You heard her yourself, this is likely just a hardware issue. A blip."

Tseng looked wickedly amused at this, and Reeve did not like that one bit. "Perhaps, Director. I'll admit, I don't care about your love life, but I do care about your _priorities_. And I care that you don't become...distracted. Or blinded."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You can't take your subordinates' words at face value, Director." The Turk shook his head mockingly as Reeve frowned in response. "This is part of my job. Spies are everywhere, you know. You can never be too cautious."

"My assistant is not spying on me." Reeve responded, cross. "And she wouldn't be putting in 16 hour days for this company only to turn around and sell it out."

"As we've been discussing, there are other reasons why she might enjoy spending long days here with you." Tseng smirked. "And there is one way to find out for sure. Help us out, and prove to yourself what she's saying is accurate."

"She's always accurate," Reeve snapped. "But since I know you're not going to leave me alone otherwise, fine. I'll help. But only for a bit — I’m not going to spare Cait Sith every time you need something surveilled. Don't you have other agents to do this for you?"

"Come now, Director." Tseng said, smoothly. "Don't you think your employees would prefer to not see a bunch of Turks lurking around?"

"How thoughtful of you."

"Consider it a professional courtesy, from one friend to another."

"Oh? Are we friends?"

Tseng cast Reeve a mild expression. Reeve couldn't tell if the man was genuinely offended. "Here's some advice friendly advice: Your assistant wants to sleep with you. Take a page from Reno's book and consider it. It might help you lighten up."

Reeve stood, agitated. "Well, thanks for your time, Tseng. Never dull when Turks stop by."

Tseng rose slowly, grinning. "I hope there are no hard feelings. And for what it's worth, no. I don't think your assistant is spying on you. She wouldn't want to sabotage _your_ work." Tseng looked amused. "But that doesn't mean other employees aren't."

Reeve sighed. "Fair enough. I take your point. But next time you want to stop by to make one, at least wait for us to call you in after you knock."

"Worried we'd interrupt something?" Tseng's grin turned wicked.

"Only budget projections. But you don't need to make a show of intimidating my staff, which is the effect you have." Reeve thought for a moment, then mustered the spine to also say, "And tell Reno to back off of her. She doesn't like his attention, and I shouldn't need to ask for that 'professional courtesy' on her behalf."

Tseng straightened at that. "You're right. My apologies. I'll make sure to speak with him." They shook hands. Then together they crossed toward the threshold, Tseng opening the door, where their respective employees awaited.

"I've already told you," her voice exasperated, "I'm _not_ calling you 'Big Red', Reno."

"Ahhhh, but you just did, Lil' Red."

" _Don't_ call me that."

"How ‘bout Freckles?"

She rolled her eyes again and ignore him, turning to the open door. "All set, sir?" She asked Reeve.

"Yes." Reeve caught Tseng's gaze, who nodded to him. Then Reeve said to Reno, "Reno, cut it out."

Reno looked offended, but when he saw Tseng make no motion to reprove the Director, he slumped. "Have a nice evening, Miss,” he muttered sullenly before turning down the hall. Tseng bowed to her deeply.

"My apologies. I will make sure he doesn't bother you in the future." Then he nodded to Reeve and departed.

As they reentered the office she looked at him, incredulous. "That seemed like it was actually productive." She didn't bother hiding her surprise.

Reeve snorted. "In a way."

"Well good. It was worth it, then." She cast a wayward glance at the hallway.

"I'm sorry about his behavior. I spoke with Tseng—"

"Clearly." She smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it. In truth," she contemplated, "he wasn't that bad. Just pestered me to go out for drinks and call him that stupid name."

Reeve laughed. "I appreciate you taking one for the team.”

"Of course, sir. Though, he did seem awfully interested in getting more information from me. But he wouldn’t really tell me outright what he wanted to know. So, what else did they need?"

Reeve paused. He wasn't entirely sure what to tell her, but he could tell from the stubborn glint in her eye she wasn't going to relent.

"Just some security issues they wanted us to look into. I'll take care of it."

He avoided her gaze and walked to his desk to make a show of filing away papers. She crossed the room to where he stood, then folded her arms, waiting expectantly.

"What?" He asked.

"You have an interesting relationship with the Turks." She observed, scrutinizing his face. "I don't usually see them cordially chat with the other Directors."

Reeve felt heat rise in his face. "I try to be helpful where I can."

"How are you _helpful_ to a Black ops group?"

He felt stung by her words, sensing her wariness. What did she think he was doing? What did she think of him? She pinned his gaze and he felt warm under the weight of her consternation.

"I'm just trying to lend them assistance without disrupting our staff. Their visit was just a professional courtesy."

"You conduct espionage for them as a 'professional courtesy'?"

"Where did you get that from?"

She rolled her eyes. "I know what _covert_ means, Director."

"I know it sounds nefarious." He struggled to find the right words. "But I promise, it isn't. No one is getting hurt. We are just taking some precautions around security."

She studied his face. Her expression softened. "I believe you." She straightened, realizing belatedly how close to him she’d crept (not that he minded). "I apologize," her cheeks flushed and she brushed her hair behind her ear. "I don't mean to step out of bounds, sir. I just get nervous when Turks are involved…" She looked bashfully at Reeve. "You know...the staff talk."

"I understand, and no offense taken. I'm sorry for worrying you." The settled into an awkward silence. Reeve looked at the clock. 15 minutes 'til midnight. 

"I do have a confession.” She looked sheepish, cheeks still pink. “I didn’t tell Tseng the whole truth.”

“What?” He said, alarmed.

“There _has_ been some additional activity," she started, " _but_ , I don't think it's anything to worry about! It looks like some folks have using their key cards to check out early — take longer breaks, skip out on work, that sort of thing.” She bristled. “But, that’s a staff morale issue. People have been upset since the pension cuts, it’s just manifesting in different ways. It’s not a reason to get the _Turks_ involved.” She looked apologetic. “I hope it’s okay I didn’t tell him that.”

“It’s more than okay,” Reeve said, earnest. In truth, he found her care for the staff within the division to be one of her most endearing qualities. “Thank you, for being so attentive to that.” It was his turn to feel sheepish. “I’m not as on top of managing personnel issues as I should be.”

“Well, I can’t fault you, what with having to do all these _covert activities_ for the Department of Administrative Research," she teased. He smiled.

“Fair enough.” The next silence that settled was sweeter, softer. There was a chime at the clock: midnight.

“Well, we were almost finished reviewing the Neo-Midgar brief, sir. Should we press on?" She started toward coffee table, but Reeve surprised them both by placing his hand on her arm to stop her, gently squeezing her before letting go. His hand hovered near her elbow, close enough that his fingers felt her warmth.

"No. You go home. Get some rest. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t think about work."

She smiled. "And are you going to take that same advice, sir?" She leaned toward him. Tseng's words sprang to his mind. Was he really _not_ imagining the flirting trill of her voice, the mischievous glint in her eye?

"Er-"

"As I thought: you're just as hopeless as I." She chuckled as she drew away from him, then suppressed a yawn. "But I'm not going to argue with you. Though I expect we’ll see each other tomorrow while we’re both busy ignoring your sage advice. And there _could_ be worse ways to spend a weekend." She winked as she gathered up her belongings. He quickly turned to file the remaining folders and shut off the lights, lest she see the blush painting his cheeks.

Together, they walked toward the door.

Before they exited the building she turned and smiled at him, soft and sweet. "Have a good night, Director Tuesti." Inspiration struck.

"Take care, Big Red."

He relished in her peal of unexpected laughter.

…It was a good start to Saturday morning.


End file.
